Can we defy nature's end?

Human activity has severely degraded the biodiversity of the Earth, and if the rate of extinctions of the world’s species continues, a major portion could be lost in the first half of this century.

A group of international researchers, however, disagree with claims that saving biodiversity is impractical or simply uneconomical, and argue that sound economic and ecological strategies often involve the same — not conflicting — strategies.

Greatly increasing the areas where biodiversity is protected is a clear and achievable goal, they say. But it will require innovative measures.